TimeOut Chicago names city’s best bars for 2018!

Every year, the Time Out Bar Awards celebrate outstanding achievements in the bar community in cities around the world. The point is to give the best bars, best crews and best drinks the spotlight they deserve. This year on Tuesday June 11, 2018, the Time Out Chicago Bar Awards took place for the third year—presented in association with William Grant & Sons, the independent family-owned distiller—and here’s the list of winners. Perfect time to schedule your next bar crawl!

Lost Lakewas crowned Chicago’s Bar of the Year at the Time Out Bar Awards celebration. Helmed by Paul McGee and Shelby Allison, the Logan Square tiki bar has become an institution since opening in 2015, offering playful rum-based cocktails, funky vibes and a roster of crave-worthy bar snacks.

Other venues in high spirits: Golden Teardrops—a dark and mysterious basement bar below Lonesome Rose—was honored as the city’s Best New Bar; Todos Santos—the mescal den led by Jay Schroeder—picked up the award for Best Speciality Bar; and the Spanish-Style Gin and Tonic at Cindy’s—a refreshing play on the classic that includes fennel-calamansi tonic—bagged the Sexiest Cocktail in Chicago title.

To pick the award winners, Time Out assembled an industry-renowned panel of high-profile drinks experts and top bartenders. The panel included Julia Momose, beverage director at Oriole; James Beard Award-winning sommelier Belinda Chang; Benjamin Schiller, beverage director at The Fifty/50 Group; Hendrick’s Gin Ambassador Mattias Horseman; Monkey Shoulder Ambassador Vance Henderson; and Morgan Olsen, the editor of Time Out Chicago. More info at https://www.timeout.com/chicago/bars/bar-awards.